The City of Troy, New York just might just be the weirdest city in the whole state. No one ever wants to discuss Troy’s Pinewoods Cemetery (a.k.a. Forest Park), because this one is so haunted that some say you can never leave once you enter. It’s true, actually, because the memory stays with you. About 33 years ago, I walked through this cemetery with my cousin. She was visiting from the Midwest and I had never been there (but had heard stories). We walked through tall grass surrounding a deeply rutted and, for the most part, unpaved road to an

interior mausoleum vault which was open. We decided to go into the mausoleum, which had broken windows all around, to get out of the sun.

When we got inside, I remembered that it was so cold and there were empty marble vaults where coffins had once stood. The temperature was so cold, we could see our breath and there was frost coming down the sides of the interior of the vault. Just a little light came in even though there were plenty of broken windows all around. We stayed there for about a half hour, because we couldn’t leave––we felt as if something was holding us back, spinning us around in the mausoleum. I took pictures on my Instamatic and, par for the course, they did not come out! When we left, we felt fear and then calm. I knew that was probably my first true visit from spirits, yet I was not afraid at all. After that experience, I started walking through the Pawling Cemeteries at night, just to see if I could get the same feeling at another cemetery, but I could not. –Adriana Delia Collins

Ghostly Green Glow of the Troy Mausoleum

Back in the 80's a group of us (about five people) went at night to a cemetery in Troy, NY that we heard was haunted. We went in there armed only with flashlights. The gates of the cemetery were wrought iron and grown over with plant life. We entered around the gate through a hole in the fence. The place had not been taken care of in years. There was vegetation overgrowing everything. But through the vegetation there were many old headstones. We made our way further into the cemetery and found an old mausoleum that had no roof, or at least only some boards of wood on the top. All of the bodies had been removed and the spots where they were. So we gathered together and were just hanging out when someone said, " Hey, look over there.” So we all looked at the empty concrete holders for the coffins and exactly in the middle was a small glowing green light about the size of a half dollar.

Everyone was freaking out. So, I went over to have a closer look, you know, to see if it was a reflection or something. It wasn't. There was no shadow, no moon, no flashlights on––nothing––just a green glowing light with no apparent source. We got kinda freaked out so we decided to leave. Well, on the way out my friend felt something pulling on the back of his shirt and he turned around and there was nothing there. This cemetery is a VERY creepy place, you feel goose bumps just being there. It was a long time ago that we were there but I will never forget it. I have heard many stories about the cemetery during my growing up around here. I believe it was in Ripley's Believe it or not at some point but I'm not sure. It is definitely a place to check out for those who have never been there. –Amy

It’s Not Just the Mausoleum at Pinewoods That’s Haunted!

Dear Weird NY;
I'm not sure if you guys have ever been told of this place or not, but in Troy, N.Y. there is an old cemetery named Forest Hills cemetery (the locals call it Pinewoods cemetery because of its location on Pinewoods Ave). The cemetery has long been closed to the public (since the 30's I believe) and overgrown by woods, supposedly as legend has it, following a few unexplained incidents, including one where the bodies that were being held in the mausoleum disappeared without a trace sometime in the 20's or 30's (older locals would still recount this story). Last time I was in the cemetery was around 14 years ago, but recent photos online show that some of the same creepy statues, and the actual mausoleum, along with several other gateways are still intact.

One of the creepiest statues is the one that stands around 10 ft. tall, it’s an angel standing in front of a cross but it's head is missing. Venturing into the wooded area, which most of it is, aside from the paths (which must have been the roadways, given their width), is like walking through a scary movie––you'll take a few steps through some trees and stumble upon a child’s headstone, it seems to have been a pretty full cemetery that for some reason was just abandoned. Walking through there gives you an eerie feeling even in the daytime, there are a lot of cold spots, and I've even had friends who were chased out of there right up to the edge of the woods by something––a shape or entity that they couldn’t describe as anything other than a dark figure.

My friends Steve and Don (two very tough ex-marines), decided to venture in one night at around 1 a.m. and ran out after only going a few feet past the entrance, when the bushes started rustling and they heard the laughter of several small children. The spirits are known to be very angry, and they seem to be in some state of purgatory. It’s been called a gateway to hell, and it was listed in Life magazine as one of the most top ten haunted cemeteries in America, it was also profiled on Unsolved Mysteries. If anyone plans to visit you have to be very careful, there are a lot of no trespassing signs and the entrance is heavily patrolled by police, (and as legend has it, by the spirits themselves!). You can however gain access to it with permission by the Town of Brunswick. Keep up the good work guys, I love your site and books! –Jack Marshall

You can read about all of New York’s other haunted hotspots and ghostly gathering places in Weird New York.